Page 36 of Remy

“We don’t want them to know we’re comin’. Third house down on the left. It’s a little isolated. Sits back off the road,” he tells us.

“We knockin’?” Locke asks. Gunner chuckles and shakes his head.

“No. They aren’t gonna let us motherfuckers in. We split half front, half back. Keep your eyes open. There could be children in there,” he reminds everyone. Yeah, my child could be in there. I suck air in through my nose and blow it slowly.

Then we move. We break into groups, half in front, half going around back, just like he ordered. I’m at the front with Gunner and a few others. He raises his hand and counts down to three before kicking the door open. A woman screams, but she’squickly quieted when she sees the gun. We move in quickly through both sides, coming to meet in the middle.

“Upstairs, Remy,” Gunner tells me. I nod and motion for a few others to follow me. We make our way up the steps quickly but quietly. I motion for them to split off and we each take a room.

“Clear!” One calls out.

“Clear!” I call out.

“Remy,” I hear one of them yell for me. I quickly leave the room I’m in and go to where he is. When I walk in, my heart stops. Lying there, looking like an angel is a little girl. No. Not just any little girl. She’s mine.

“Check the rest of the house,” I croak. The guys move quickly, going to do what they were told as I lower my gun and stuff it into the back of my jeans. Those little brown eyes come to meet mine, and a toothy smile crosses her face. My heart nearly stops beating as I look at her.

“You must be Charlie.” She makes little noises, and I nearly lose my breath. Locke comes into the room and walks up next to me.

“That’s her. The lady downstairs told us,” he confirms. “Not like you didn’t already know. Damn, she looks like you, Remy.”

“She’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, she is. Can’t believe how much she looks like you, brother. Ain’t no denyin’ that’s yours,” he chuckles.

“I wouldn’t want to. What do I do?”

“Pick her up. Let’s get her back to her mom.” I glance over at him and nod my head, but I’ve never held a baby before. I suppose she isn’t a baby baby, she is almost two but she’s still so small.

I carefully reach in and lift her in my arms, cradling her against my chest. My heart beats rapidly inside me. There are so many emotions running through me right now that I can’t get them all straight.

Charlie rests her head on my shoulder, and I nearly lose it.

“I don’t know if this is okay,” I tell Locke. He chuckles and nods his head.

“You’re doin’ great. She knows who you are,” he assures me as we walk out of the room. We head back downstairs to where the woman is hysterically crying while Hodge stands there with a gun to her head. The woman looks up and I can see the regret, the pain in her eyes.

“You knew he took her?” I ask her. She nods her head. “Speak,” I demand.

“I knew she wasn’t his. He kept saying she was and that I needed to take care of her. I knew something was wrong when he would bring the mother over briefly, but you don’t go against a man like Brad.”

“How are you related?”

“I’m his cousin. His only cousin. We hadn’t spoken in years until he called and said he needed a favor.”

“You didn’t call the police. Why?”

“He threatened to kill my only daughter. So I did as he asked. I never hurt her,” she cries, nodding toward Charlie.

“What do you wanna do here, Remy?” Emotions clog my throat as I look at the woman. The plan was not to let anyone live who had a hand in taking Charlie. But for some reason, I believe her.

“Where’s your daughter?”

“She goes to college in another state.”

“I’m gonna get you protection until I find him. You go see your daughter.”

“What are you going to do to him?” she asks. I narrow my eyes at her and shake my head. She doesn’t want to know. Understanding sets in. “You’re … you’re not going to kill me?”

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